Page 31 of For the Boys
“Sweet,” their mom said, cutting her middle child off from voicing what was most certainly about to be a negative comment. “But, honey, why don’t you just ask her on a date? Why go through all the trouble for something so grand?”
“I’m afraid she’ll turn me down.” Brent had never said those words out loud before, but it felt good. With his teammates, he hadn’t made a big deal of her blowing him off. But despite his fame and fortune, Brent couldn’t help being insecure where women were concerned. His last serious relationship had ended badly, and it had shattered his confidence. He had built it back up during the next few years through a string of casual relationships, but his mother was right. Berkley wasn’t just any girl. She wasn’t someone he wanted something casual with.
A party was an ideal setting for their first real meeting, with a room full of people creating a buffer so things weren’t awkward. But at some point in the evening, she would have to thank him. And that would be his moment to shine. To reel her in with his charm.
“Seems like an awful lot of trouble for one girl if you ask me,” Nate said.
“Except no one did ask you,” Mackenzie said. “I think it’s sweet.”
Brent smiled at his sister. “Thank you for always having my back, Kenz.”
“I do have your back,” Nate said. “As your brother, and someone who is forced to love you unconditionally, it’s my job to tell you that I think you’re going a bit overboard.”
“Well, be that as it may,” Brent said, “it’s too late to back out now. Everything is booked and paid for.”
“I hope all goes well,” his mom said. “It’s been so long since you’ve had someone.”
“Yeah,” Nate said, “Kenz was starting to wonder if you’re gay.”
“I was not!” Mackenzie protested. “I just want a sister. Nate is married to med school, so Brent is my only hope.”
“Well, don’t hold your breath, kid. But I’ll work on it.”
Brent had done a lot of chasing in his life: chasing after his dream of becoming a professional hockey player, chasing after pucks deep in the zone, chasing shots.
But he had never once chased after a woman.
Until now.
“Bro, why are you even doing this? She’s just one girl,” said Cole from the passenger seat.
Brent sighed; he’d had this same conversation with Cole more than once. “She’s not just one girl, Cole. I can’t explain it, but I need to know her. I’ve never acted like this about a girl before, have I?”
Cole shrugged. “No, I guess not.”
“So doesn’t that prove to you that something about this one feels different to me?”
Another shrug. “I guess.”
“You’re hopeless. Mitch was right about your emotional maturity.”
“Dude, I’m helping you get the club all set up for this damn party you decided to throw her. Don’t give me that. I just hope her hot friends are there.”
Brent rolled his eyes. When he had told Berkley he wanted to meet her and get to know her, throwing her a surprise birthday party hadn’t exactly been what he had in mind. But he refused to do anything halfway, so it was either go big or go home. Especially when it came to this girl.
That was how he and Cole found themselves heading to The Backdoor on Friday morning, the day before the party, to help the girls set up. Berkley’s roommates had told him repeatedly not to feel obligated to help with the manual labor, as he’d been responsible for renting out the club and had footed the bill for food, decorations, and a photographer, but Brent wanted the chance to pick their brains about their little blonde friend.
They walked inside, which was a disorienting experience for Brent, who had only ever seen the club in the darkest hours of the night. The walls consisted of dark wood paneling, with plain white and silver sconces evenly placed along them. There was a hodgepodge of booths and tables along the left side of the room and a bar in the back. A large dance floor filled the remaining space. A balcony skirted the second floor, one side opening up to a large loft space where private parties were often held.
For people who couldn’t afford to rent out the whole bar, obviously.
“Hey, Brent!”
Brent looked up to see Lexie waving him over. “Hey, Lexie. This is my teammate Cole.”
Lexie and Cole shook hands. Then Lexie turned to him. “Speaking of teammates, Berk and I ran into a couple of them a few weeks ago.”
Brent quirked an eyebrow. “Which ones?”
